McMillan: Army hockey back on track thanks to disciplined play

Friday

Jan 25, 2013 at 2:00 AM

WEST POINT — Last season was forgettable for the Army hockey team for many reasons, not least of which was the worst record in nearly 60 years as well as the unfathomable happenstance of not winning a single home game aside from an exhibition contest.

Ken McMillan

WEST POINT — Last season was forgettable for the Army hockey team for many reasons, not least of which was the worst record in nearly 60 years as well as the unfathomable happenstance of not winning a single home game aside from an exhibition contest.

"It was unbelievable,'' coach Brian Riley said, still shaking his head 10 months later. "Hockey is a long season, and if you don't have success early, it's very easy to come up to the rink and just kind of go through the motions.''

But that's not what his team did.

"I give them a lot of credit,'' Riley said, "because they were with us every step of the way.'' They did everything that he had asked them to do, so Riley had no choice but to look at his own complicity. "Last year, I will take the blame for that,'' he said.

Riley traced the demise to a decision he made five years earlier. When Riley inherited his first squad from his older brother, Rob, in 2004-05, he had 13 incoming freshmen. By sheer will of their talents and desire, that group formed the backbone of a team that won the Atlantic Hockey regular-season title two years later. Riley eased up on his coaching reins a bit, allowing those skaters to freelance more and allow their talents to blossom. When they graduated, though, Riley stayed with the same game plan.

"I made the mistake of saying, 'If we can just keep this going ...' when I probably should have given more structure to those guys," he said.

In most sports, Army is not going to attract the best athletic recruits, but success is usually possible with effort and disciplined play. Riley realized that by allowing his subsequent teams to freelance there would be more breakdowns that would prove costly in close contests. Last season, Army was 2-5 in games decided by a goal, and 2-8 in those decided by two goals.

Furthermore, Army hockey players have prided themselves on being in shape and winning third-period battles when games are on the line. If you break out third periods alone, Army was 9-14-12. Losing the third period directly led to five overall losses and in three of those "ties" Army surrendered the final goal to suffer defeat.

The first thing Riley did at the conclusion of the season was to sic strength coach Scott Swanson on his returning players and put them through rigorous weight-room workouts during the spring. Next, he gathered his coaching staff and broke out the white boards to address every aspect of the team, from operations to practices to the systems the team would use on the ice.

The result was a return to a more-structured style of play. Army has always emphasized defense and a physical brand of hockey, but now there is more agreement on how to go about that. It's about keeping feet moving, being hard on the pucks, being aggressive on forechecks and knowing how many skaters should be attacking.

"It is more of an identity of what we're trying to do and less trying to rely on individual skills,'' Riley said. "It's more of a team concept and everybody on the same page.''

The results have not been overwhelming, but positive nonetheless with three more wins than all of last season. Army earned points in nine of its first 12 league games and hovered at or near the top of Atlantic Hockey through the first three months of the season. The Black Knights, picked to finish 10th out of 12 teams, are currently tied for fourth at 7-7-3. Army has already "won" six third periods, leading directly to four overall wins and added an overtime victory.

"It's been a pleasant surprise,'' Riley said. "We changed our whole structure to our game and what we do. I think these guys have bought into it. The seniors have done a great job with these young guys. I think there is more of an expectation to win with this group than probably what we had last year.''

Coaches are creatures of habit like everyone else. It's never easy to trash the old way of doing things in favor of something new or something that's been out of practice for seven or eight years. Riley has owned up to his mistakes and set out on a course not to repeat them, not coincidentally a core value of leadership skills fostered at the Academy.